Cattle-guard.



Patented0ct.1

CATTLE GUARD.

W. W. BOATWRIGHT.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.19, 1910.

99 0 0 0 0 u n B mm FE:

WALTER W. BOATWRIGLI-IT, F GRANGER, IOWA.

CATTLE-GUARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

'Paenad'oa. 17, 1911.

Application filed November 19, 1910. Serial No. 593,266.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER W. BOAT- WRIGHT, citizen of the United Statesof America, and resident of Granger, Dallas county, Iowa, have inventeda new and useful Cattle-Guard, of which the following is aspecification.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved construction forcattle-guards.

A further object of this invention is to provide improved means forlocking leaves of a cattle-guard in recumbent positions.

A further object of this invention is to provide means for hingingleaves of cattleguards in such manner that they may be turned upwardlyrelative to railway ties and rails in order to uncover the ties for workon the track or ballast and for cleaning away weeds, snow, ice and otherobjectionable substances.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combinationof elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claim andillustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a plan ofthe complete cattleguard in position for practical use. Fig. 2

is a cross-section on the indicated line 2-2 of Fig. 1, the dotted linesindicating positions assumed at times by movable parts.

In the construction of the device as shown the numerals 10, 11 designaterailway rails which are secured in an ordinary manner to and supportedby cross-ties 12, 13. The cross-ties 12 may be of any desired number butI preferably employ two only of the cross-ties 13 and for such purposeuse ties of greater than ordinary length. A center bar, beam or sill 14is mounted parallel with and on the median line between the rails 10, 11and is rigidly secured to the cross-ties 12, 13. I preferably employfour guard leaves and locate one pair of the leaves between the rails10, 11 and on opposite sides of the central bar 14 and the other pair ofleaves outside of said rails. Each guard leaf preferably is composed ofbars 15 of any desired number, which bars are spaced apart at their endsand centers by blocks 16 and connected by bolts 17 extending through thebars and blocks. The inner leaves are hinged to the central bar 1 1 byinter-engaging eye-bolts 18 in bars 15 and the bar 14 respectively. Theouter leaves are hinged preferably by strap or T-hinges 19 having theirplates fixed respectively to end portions of the longer cross-ties 13and to end portions of the bars 15. Being hinged as above describedeither of the leaves can be turned upwardly into the positions shown bydotted lines in Fig. 2 in order to uncover the cross-ties and ballast oneither side of the rails 10, 11 for treatment of the ballast such as isrequired to level the rails or to remove weeds, snow, ice and the likefrom the spaces between and on the cross-ties. Each of the leaves islocked or latched in recumbent position by right angled bolts 20extending through and pivoted in end portions of the bars 15. The bolts20 preferably are formed with angular heads projecting above the bars 15and adapted to be en gaged by a wrench in order that the bolts may beturned within spaces between crossties so that lower end portions ofsaid bolts may engage beneath and at right angles to the track rails 10,11 as illustrated. Each of the bars 15 preferably is overlaid by a cap21 of sheet metal, which cap extends from end to end of the bar andprojects downwardly along the sides thereof. The cap 21 preferably issecured to-the bar 15 by transverse bolts extending through marginalflanges of the cap and through the upper portion of the bar. Studs 22preferably formed with heads on one end and points on the opposite endare mounted through the caps 21 and are arranged with their pointed endsprojecting upwardly beyond the faces of the caps. The headed ends of thestuds 22 engage the upper surfaces of the bars 15. The studs 22preferably are arranged in rows adjacent to side margins of the bars 15and staggered in one row relative to the next adjacent row. It is thefunction of the caps 21 to protect the upper surfaces of the bars 15 andalso to retain the studs 22 in positions pointing upwardly. It is thefunction of the studs 22 to prevent live stock from crossing the guards.

said longitudinal bars, and; pointed studs I claim as my invention- Acattle-guard comprising hinged leaves, each leaf containing longitudinalbars, metal caps comprising channel bars overlying said'longitudinalbars, the horizontal portions of said channel bars beingspaced from ing formed with heads between the caps and bars.

Signed by me at Granger, Iowa, this 5th day of October, 1910.

WALTER W. BOATWVRIGHT. Witnesses:

M. NI. KNOX, JOHN WRIGHT.

extending through said caps, said studs be- Copies of this patent may beobtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,x

Washington, D. C.

